The United States announced more than $720 million in additional U.S. humanitarian assistance in Syria, which brings the total amount of U.S. aid since the start of the conflict to more than $12 billion.  Today's announcement includes more than $419 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to help people in Syria. as well as Syrian refugees who have fled to neighboring countries. 

With this funding, USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance will provide urgently needed food, shelter, medical care, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene, training, support to help Syrians earn an income, and protection for the most vulnerable.  In addition, this assistance will bolster coordination and information-management for the overall humanitarian response in Syria.

The United States also continues to fight for unfettered humanitarian access to meet the needs of the most vulnerable Syrian people, no matter where they live or who controls that territory.  In Northwest Syria, border crossings to and from Turkey are vital to the delivery of humanitarian aid, and Syrians rely on this outside assistance to survive.  The United States worked tirelessly to ensure the United Nations (UN) Security Council reauthorized at least one of the critical crossings in July of this year, which has allowed UN aid convoys to continue to cross into Syria from Turkey to provide food, vaccines, and other humanitarian supplies. 

The United States remains committed to helping the people of Syria, and will continue to support them during this man-made crisis driven by the Assad regime and its proxies.  We appreciate all donors who have stepped up with funding, and we continue to encourage both traditional and new donors to increase their efforts to help meet growing needs in Syria.  While humanitarian assistance is vital to keeping people alive, a negotiated political solution is the only way to end the suffering of the Syrian people.